Bali Rules the Three Worlds

After the Andhaka war, Bali, the grandson of Prahlāda, grew so strong that he took the place of Indra and ruled the three worlds. In his reign he slew the great asura Kālanemi. Prahlāda taught him rājadharma, the duty of a king. Lakshmī, who is also called Jayaśrī, chose to live with him. All this led up to the avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu as Vāmana.

Bali rises to rule

Bali was the son of Virocana and the grandson of Prahlāda. After the great upheavals of the Andhaka war he performed great tapas (austerity). He gathered much puṇya (merit) through dāna (giving) and yajña (fire ritual). His power grew until he could face Indra himself. The devas were beaten and driven from their high places. Bali took the seat of Indra and became ruler of all three worlds. He received the offerings and honours that had belonged to the devas.

The slaying of Kālanemi

During the time when Bali ruled the three worlds, Kālanemi was slain. Kālanemi was a mighty asura. He had been a lasting enemy of both devas and asuras in different times. The Vāmana Purāṇa says this was done through the help of Bhagavān Vishṇu, who went on protecting the order of the world even while the asura king ruled the three worlds.

Prahlāda’s teaching on rājadharma

Prahlāda was the great-grandfather of Bali. He was now an elder counsellor and a mahā-bhāgavata (great devotee of Bhagavān Vishṇu). He gave Bali a full teaching on rājadharma. It covered the duties of a ruler. It spoke of the right bond between a king and his people, the king as guardian of dharma, the dangers of adharma in rule, and the first place of Vishṇu-bhakti (devotion to Bhagavān Vishṇu) as the base of rightful rule. Prahlāda taught Bali that a king’s dharma is not only a matter of government or war. It is above all a spiritual duty. The king is the means through which the order of Bhagavān Vishṇu is kept in the world of men.

In Chapters 48 and 49, Prahlāda is shown as one who has seen every kind of rule, among asuras, devas and men. He uses this wide experience to advise his great-grandson how to use power without gaining the karma (results of action) that ruins even the mightiest rulers.

The coming of Lakshmī (Jayaśrī)

While Bali ruled the three worlds, the devī Lakshmī, who is also called Jayaśrī, the devī of victory and good fortune, came to live with him. Her coming to Bali meant that all wealth, all rule and all auspicious power had gathered in the asura king. The devas had lost not only their places but also the divine presence that makes a rule bright. Lakshmī lived with Bali and not with the devas. This was the crisis that set the stage for the descent of Bhagavān Vishṇu as Vāmana.

Sources

• Vāmana Purāṇa (Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa), Chapters 47–49
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 47 (Bali’s rise; Kālanemi)
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 48–49 (Prahlāda’s teaching on rājadharma)
• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 49 (Lakshmī’s arrival)